Monday 20-02-2017 - 15:12

12 competitors who have been fencing for 3 months or less battled it out to fight for victory last Saturday at the Just Play Beginners Fencing Tournament.

The competition started with round of poules where fencers fought each other to 3 points. The fencers were then ranked on how well they did, and had to move on to direct eliminations. This meant fights to 7 points and the defeated fencer would be eliminated, whilst the victor moved onto the next fight up until the final two fencers were left standing to battle it out to 15 points and claim the title of best beginner!

Alexander Smolyakov claimed first place, with Alfie Newson coming in at a valiant second and at joint third place were Aisha Khan and Alex Carolan. Honourable mentions go to Jack Walker and Adley LeeJing Chan who were the only two competitors to only begin fencing on the day of the competition and still managed to hold their own.

Organisers Anna Hills and Siobhan Regan were ecstatic with how well the event ran. “Everyone enjoyed themselves and got to experience what a real fencing competition felt like,” Regan said. “It was a very friendly atmosphere and it was great to see how much everyone improved as the day went on.” Hills (who has been a Just Play Activator for two years running) continued “This year’s competition was a massive success, with almost twice as many entrants as last year. I’m glad we gave people the chance to try out a new sport – congratulations to everyone for doing so well!”

Just Play fencing sessions run regularly on Saturdays 11am-1pm. It’s a great way to try an unusual sport in a relaxed atmosphere and make new friends. Just Play fencing is in conjunction with Lancaster University Fencing Club which you can check out online on their Facebook page.